DOMESTIC SERVANTS.

Evening Star, Issue 3194, 16 May 1873, Page 3

DOMESTIC SERVANTS.

To the Editor .

Sir, — I trust you will allow me to say a few words in reply to a letter which appeared in the Evening Star of May 14, purporting to be written by a Mrs Tidy, and commenting very severely on the bad conduct of servants, &c. Society must be in a very bad state indeed, or elec Mrs Tidy must be a bad mistress, quite incapable of managing a good servant properly : the latter supposition would appear to be the most correct, if we may judge from the character she gives them. Now, Mr Editor, to my own knowledge there arc a cl vss of women in this town who call themselves ladies and mistresses, who really know nothing regarding the treatment of servants : incapable of managing their own affairs, proud boasters, owls at window, magpies at the door, rakes for one’s patience, kitchen sneaks, meddling and grumbling from morning to night; and no matter however well a girl may do her work, there is some fault to be found with it. Such women are ca'culated to try the temper and patience of ahy girl, and to make a good servant bad. Some mistresses, I know, who will make poor servants work and slave from morning to night, without giving them so much as one hour of an evening to devote to themselves How can such women attempt to complain of the untidiness of their servants, when they themselves are to blame for it ? Other mistresses I know, also, who treat servants with respect, make them work proper hours, allow them suitable time for themselves, kc. ; such ladies will seldom have to complain of their servants being untidy, and seldom, if ever, be at a loss for a goad one. I would strongly advise Mrs Tidy and some others to copy the example of such ladies, and then there won!t be so many bvl servants to complain of. Good mistresses will always get good servants, lam One who never had a bad Servant. Dunedin, May 15.